The present invention pertains to food processing systems, and in particular, conveyors for processing food products designed so that the food products do not readily adhere to, or “stick to,” the conveyor.
In industrial or commercial food processing systems, food products are carried by conveyors during the processing of the food products, including cooking, such as during frying or baking of the food products. Some food products tend to adhere to the conveyor, for example, coatings and seasoning used on food products, including meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, etc. Such coatings are primarily batter or “tempura” but may also include flour, breading, corn meal, panko, etc. When the food product is removed from the conveyor surface, the coating may be disturbed, causing the food product to be rejected.
To address the foregoing challenges in food processing, conveyors may be constructed with cross slats composed of material that does not readily adhere to, or “stick to,” typical food products, including coatings and seasonings. Such cross slats heretofore have been attached to the underlying drive chains or other conveyor components by threaded fasteners to physically connect the slats (and perhaps also carriers with which the slats are engaged) to the drive chain or other underlying structure of the conveyor system. To prevent the fasteners from working loose and unwanted disassembly, the threaded fasteners are welded to the underlying chain or other conveyor structure. This results in the assembly of the conveyor being very labor-intensive, and thus expensive. Moreover, repair of the conveyor is difficult in that it is necessary to cut or otherwise remove the welded fasteners from the chain. The present disclosure seeks to address the foregoing and other shortcomings with respect to current slat-type conveyor construction, as well as address other technical issues.